Bahrain says it dismantles 14-member 'terrorist' cell
| Publisher | Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty |
| Publication Date | 27 March 2017 |
| Cite as | Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, Bahrain says it dismantles 14-member 'terrorist' cell, 27 March 2017, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/5975a6bfc.html [accessed 18 May 2023] |
| Disclaimer | This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. |
March 27, 2017
Bahrain says it has broken up a 14-member "terrorist" cell suspected of a bomb attack on a bus in February and of plotting to assassinate senior government officials.
The Bahraini Interior Ministry on March 26 said individual group members had been trained by Iran's elite Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC), the Iraqi Ketaeb Hizballah Shi'ite paramilitary group, and in Bahrain.
It said the members were financed and supervised by two Bahrainis who had fled to mainly Shi'ite Iran.
Sunni-ruled Bahrain has been hit by unrest since March 2011, when authorities put down a month of Shi'ite-led protests demanding democratic reforms.
Bahrain is a strategic U.S. ally and home to the U.S. Navy's Fifth Fleet. Its majority Shi'ite population has complained of being marginalized by ruling Sunni authorities.
Officials said the detainees are suspected of a February 26 bomb attack on a bus that injured five police officers.
They are also suspected of planning to attack "senior officials," the Interior Ministry said.
The ministry said weapons and explosives were seized with the detainees.
Based on reporting by BNA, AFP, and Reuters
Link to original story on RFE/RL website
